25
Discover Smith Mountain Lake
WINTER 2015/16
24
Studies in Virginia have not shown negative impacts on
existing bass populations or populations of other species
where they have been stocked. The existing largemouth bass
in SML are already crosses between Florida and Northern
bass, nearly genetically identical to the Tiger Bass. There
should not be any genetic problems from this stocking given
the similar genetic makeup of what is being stocked and
what is already there.
Tiger Bass may be fast growing in specific environments
where the system is managed specifically for fast bass
growth but these fish are much more ordinary the writer
leads the reader to believe as I will address later. Most any
bass can be fast growing given the correct combination of
habitat and forage resources.
“Wood predicts that the surviving stock will reach
approximately 1.5 pounds in a year and 15 pounds in 8
years”
This predicted growth may be available in a specially
managed water in the south but will not happen in Virginia.
They have been stocked in a Virginia lake that provided one
of the best opportunity for good growth in the state, and
they averaged 0.15 lbs. in one year and the biggest we have
seen is 9.2 lbs. in 11 years. It is likely that there have been a
few bass get a little larger but we have not found them yet in
our sampling.
DGIF does not “put out notice of the intent to implement
a project” every time we do a study or plan to stock fish.
However, we have studied stockings of these fish and plan
to evaluate and follow this stocking for many years to
determine if it contributes to the fishery or impacts other
species. To put in perspective the stocking rate, DGIF stocks
an average of 17 fish per acre of striped bass annually, much
more than this bass stocking which is only scheduled for two
years.
The northern bass is a northern bass, assigning another
name “gorilla bass” does not change the fact that it is still
a northern largemouth bass. It does however add to the
interest and marketing of these fish. The Tiger Bass eat what
is available and will consume more forage in an environment
TIGER BASS
Revisited
that has more available forage but they are not “voracious
eaters” compared to other bass. They will not impact existing
populations of other fish any more than stocking another
largemouth bass would.
“The F-1 utilized by the state game and fish agencies during
the 1960’s and 1970’s was a cross between a pure northern
(native) bass and a pure Florida bass.”
This is the same bass! They may have selected which
broodstock (parent fish) to use based on their catchability
(how easy they are to catch by anglers), but they are still
the same fish. Some horse or cattle farmers may select
more docile or “friendly” animals to expand their herd for
obvious reasons, but they are still horses and cows. Florida
bass are notoriously difficult to catch, so selecting the bass
that are easiest to catch would serve their constituency
better than to sell fish that are very difficult to catch. It is
correct that many of the F1 intergrades stocked in the past
have not been 50-50 northern and Florida strain bass; but I
believe these are, based on my experiences with the hatchery
and personnel that owns and operates the hatchery. We
will know for sure this spring when we start sampling the
stocked fish.
“I also found an article called “Man-eating tiger bass”. This
article reports that a man places his hand in the water and
the tiger bass attacks his hand. I tried to find good photos of
tiger bass, and could find only one clear picture of a fish by
that name. It had stripes (thus the name) and large teeth.
This may not have been the same tiger bass that we are
discussing, but nothing seems to be clear. I don’t know what
to believe. The photo was marked “F1”.”
Tiger bass are not man eating… and they are not visibly any
different than other largemouth bass. Biologists cannot
distinguish any visible differences between these and other
largemouth bass…They do not have large teeth or teeth any
different than other largemouth bass…They look exactly like
any other largemouth bass.
DGIF… will be watching and studying to determine if they
actually contribute to the fishery and if they do, to what
extent… Previously, all Tiger Bass stockings have been in
small lakes, streams and Back Bay. There has not been any
stockings or studies in large reservoirs before SML so this
should provide us with insight for future management not
only at SML but other larger lakes in Virginia.
Thank you for providing the opportunity to comment on this
article.
Dan Wilson
Fisheries Biologist
VA Game & Inland Fisheries
1132 Thomas Jefferson Road
Forest, VA 24551
434-525-7522 (ext: 103); 434-942-0405 (cell)
In our previous issue, The Fisherman’s Almanac raised some questions about the stocking of
so-called “tiger bass” into Smith Mountain Lake. A reader who had similar concerns asked us to
contact Dan Wilson, a biologist at DGIF. He read the article, and sent us his comments. Here are
some excerpts from those comments: ~Ed.
PERFECT
ASSURING EVERY DAY IS
10 YEAR BOW TO STERNWARRANTY
VA# D00174
13660 BTW Highway, Moneta VA 24121
540.721.5017
